Fastjet

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fastjet Limited

Company type	Private company
Industry	Airline
Headquarters	Johannesburg , South Africa
Area served	Zimbabwe, South Africa
Key people	Donahue Cortes (CEO) Kris Jaganah (CFO) Donahue Cortes (COO) Julian Edmunds (CCO)
Revenue	US$ 64.9 m million (2024)
Operating income	US$ 24.8m million (2024)
Website	fastjet.com

Fastjet Limited, known and styled as fastjet Limited, is an African airline brand that began flight operations in 2012 in Tanzania. It currently has two airline operations in the Group^[1]: Fastjet Zimbabwe, flying scheduled operations from Harare, and Federal Airlines, providing non-scheduled shuttle and charter services inside South Africa and regionally.^[1] Plans have been announced to recommence Fastjet Mozambique operations in 2026.^[2] Fastjet Limited is the Group’s parent company, headquartered in Johannesburg, and incorporated in England and Wales, with its registered office in London.^[1]

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In June 2012, to start operations, Rubicon Diversified Investments Plc (later renamed Fastjet Plc) completed the acquisition of Lonrho's airline division for a transaction value of US$ 85.7M, satisfied by the issue of Rubicon ordinary shares to Lonrho. Key shareholders in the enlarged company were Lonrho and Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, through his easyGroup Holdings Limited (“easyGroup”). The airline division acquired included the African regional airline Fly 540, operating in Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, which would form the platform for the development of a low-cost carrier for Africa, branded ‘Fastjet’ under the terms of the easyGroup brand license agreement.^{[citation needed]}

The airline chose Dar es Salaam, Tanzania as its first operating base in Africa, with flights from Julius Nyerere International Airport commencing on 29 November 2012. Initially flights operated successfully between Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro, and between Dar es Salaam and Mwanza. Further routes were to be added quickly, both domestically and to other East African destinations.^{[citation needed]}

As well as expanding services from the base in Tanzania, in October 2015 the company obtained an Air Operator's Certificate (AOC) for Zimbabwe, and Fastjet Zimbabwe was launched. The initial flights between its base at Harare International Airport to Victoria Falls commenced on 28 October 2015, and flights to Johannesburg commenced from 1 February 2016 and flights to Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga and Maun Botswana have recently been announced from Victoria Falls commencing on 16 March 30 June 2022.^{[citation needed]} 

With troubled operations and continued losses, majority shareholder Stelios Haji-Ioannou through his holding in EasyGroup successfully changed the board of Fastjet Plc with the departure of six board members in a short period of time. Ed Winters was replaced as CEO by Nico Bezuidenhout, from rival low-cost airline Mango, on 1 August 2016.^{[citation needed]}

Bezuidenhout instigated a 'Stabilisation Plan', which included reducing unprofitable routes, switching [KJ3] [NN4] from A319s to (smaller) Embraer ERJ145 aircraft and moving the airline's headquarters from London Gatwick Airport to Africa - later revealed as a move to Johannesburg. The aim was to achieve cashflow breakeven in the fourth quarter of 2017. There was further fundraising in September 2017, to raise not less than US$44m.^{[citation needed]}

At the time of the fundraising, it was announced in September 2017 that domestic flights would be launched in both Mozambique and South Africa, by way of brand license agreements with Solenta Aviation Mozambique and Federal Airlines respectively. Both were established airlines, but only flew small aircraft, operating air shuttle, scheduled and charter services. Fastjet Mozambique commenced operations on 3 November 2017 with flights from Maputo to Beira, Nampula and Tete.^{[citation needed]}

As of February 2018, CEO Nico Bezuidenhout continued to build on Fastjet's current routes, with the launch of a Dar es Salaam to Kigoma flight. The airline launched daily flights between Harare and Bulawayo on 20 July 2018.^{[citation needed]}

In July 2019, Fastjet announced that its CEO, Nico Bezuidenhout, would step down after three years in the role. Following the announcement, Mark Hurst, the deputy group chief executive officer, was appointed to lead the airline until a permanent replacement was named.^[3]

At the end of the financial year Fastjet achieved profits for the first time in its history. However, during the height of the lockdown period the airline suspended flights across its network following the closure of borders between Zimbabwe and South Africa. Fastjet performed numerous repatriation flights during this period reuniting families and transporting essential staff between the two countries.^{[citation needed]} In 2021 the company received fourth Embraer ERJ aircraft that was put into service on the Harare Bulawayo route.^{[citation needed]}

At the beginning of 2022 Fastjet announced the launch of flights from Victoria Falls to Maun in Botswana on a four times per week basis, effective 30 June 2022. This became the second route that the airline would have launched in 2022 after flights from Victoria Falls to Nelspruit Kruger Mpumalanga.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2023 Fastjet announced an increase of its frequency between Bulawayo and Johannesburg from daily to 12 weekly flights. It also re-introduced its morning service, with an inaugural flight from Johannesburg OR Tambo International (JNB) on an Embraer 145 aircraft.^[4]

In 2024, Donahue Cortes was appointed as CEO.^{[citation needed]}

Fastjet Limited is a company incorporated and domiciled in England and Wales. Until 24 August 2020, it was traded on the London Stock Exchange Alternative Investment Market (AIM) (FJET:LSE).^[5] Estimated major interests in ordinary shares (as at April 2017)^[6] are:

Shareholder	Shares	Interest
Solenta Aviation Holdings Limited	2,549,247,180	067.00%
Janus Henderson Investors	214,943,665	5.66%0
Liberum Capital	212,276,022	5.59%0

The Group functions of Fastjet Limited head office, and several dormant holding companies, have, since 2019, been reported as Fastjet Central Systems, which is responsible for the supply of all booking systems, brand compliance and oversight, and revenue accounting, for any Fastjet branded airline operations, for which it charges a management fee to the supported airline.

Two airlines are currently operational: Fastjet Zimbabwe, domestically in Zimbabwe and internationally, and FedAir, with mainly charter and safari business in South Africa.^[5] The subsidiaries are included in the Group financial statements, because although the Group holds 50% or less of the voting rights in each, it controls the management, operations and distributions through contractual agreements as well as its shareholding.^[7]

Trading name	Operating base	Operating company	Relationship	Voting rights held	Notes/refs
Fastjet Zimbabwe	Harare, Zimbabwe	Fastjet Zimbabwe Ltd.	Brand Licensee	49%	[7][5]
Federal Air	Johannesburg, South Africa	Federal Airlines (Pty.) Ltd.	Brand Licensee ACMI Operator	25%	[8][5]

Operations of Fastjet Zambia (49.5%) and Fastjet Mozambique (100%) have currently been discontinued.^[5] Fastjet Tanzania, the original Fastjet operation, was sold on 26 November 2018.^[5]

The Fastjet brand was originally owned by Easygroup Holdings Ltd, and licensed to Fastjet Plc. Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou established the Fastjet brand in 2012. On 29 June 2017 Fastjet Plc entered into an agreement with Easygroup Holdings Ltd to acquire all intellectual property rights associated with the Fastjet brand for $2.5 million.^[9]

Fastjet Limited group results are shown below (as at years ending 31 December):

	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Turnover (US$ m)	53.8	65.1	68.5	46.2	38.5	40.8	16.0	27.9	64.1	66.9	64.9
Profit after tax (US$ m)	−72.1	−21.9	−48.1	−24.5	−65.0	−6.9	1.8	0.1	10.7	−8.9	2.6
Number of employees (average)	271	n/a	n/a	211	263	240	195	189	239	330	344
Number of passengers (m)[a]	0.60	0.79	0.79	0.54	0.25	0.20	0.06	0.15	0.27	0.32	0.27
Passenger load factor (%)[b]	73.3	66.7	53.7	71	72	67	61	64	77	77	76
Number of aircraft (scheduled) (at year end)	3	6	4	3	3	3	3	4
Number of aircraft (shuttle/safari) (at year end)						4	6	6
Notes/sources							[c][5]	[5]	[10]	[1]	[1]
^ for scheduled services only ^ for scheduled services only ^ 2020: Activities and income in fiscal 2020 were severely reduced by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic

Fastjet's Group head office is located in South Africa.^[11] Prior to 2017,^[12] it was based at London Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex.^[13] The move to South Africa was done to lower the cost of doing business.^[14] The registered office and Fastjet plc head office is in London.^[15] Each locally incorporated airline has a registered/head office in its country of operation.^{[16][failed verification]}

As of April 2023, the Fastjet fleet consists of the following aircraft:^[17]

• 5 Embraer ERJ-145

Previously, Fastjet also operated the following aircraft types:^{[citation needed]}

• Airbus A319-100
• Embraer E190

• Official website